Digital PR in a web agency is all about being a big bad writing machine: creating unique and engaging content for your clients. So what do you do when the ideas run out?
It’s the article you dread writing all day. You save it until 4PM hoping it will magically disappear from your agenda but it always shows up like a bad penny. And by 4 you’re already mentally out the door and thinking about what you’re going to eat for dinner that night.
When you work in a web agency, no two days are the same, thank God! You can never get bored, that’s for sure. As a digital PR (DPR) officer, you handle several different clients that cover all sectors of the business spectrum. Sometimes you happen upon a topic that really resonates well with your personal interests. I, for example, am interested in fashion and food, and luckily, my client list gives me the ability to write about both on a daily basis. But with DPR comes other topics, like motorcycle gear. I don’t know much about motorcycles, I’m actually deathly afraid to even get on one. But, if you’re a true writer, you can write about toilet paper and produce a killer article. This is how you make your way in DPR.
The problem comes when six months have passed and the ideas essentially run out. There’s only so many times you can discuss a certain product or project or service. That’s when the procrastination sets in, the whining, the hair pulling. So how do you deal with writers’ block in a web agency? Here are some tips:
Bounce ideas off someone else. Talk to someone who doesn’t deal with digital PR for that client. Sometimes when you’re so enthralled in a client and you’re banging out article after article, you have difficulty to step away for a second and look at the bigger picture. Chatting with a colleague for a few minutes could bring you some much needed clarity. Just yesterday I was talking about writing a blog post for a client, but had no idea where to begin. She made a suggestion and I thought, wow, why didn’t I think of that?!
Don’t write until you’re ready to. This may go against every principle of a strictly-structured work day, but if you’re a creative writer, sometimes it’s all about timing! Sometimes I can crank out two great articles one after another and other times I stare at the screen praying just the title will magically appear for me. I can’t tell you why some days the words flow from me and others no, it’s one of those unexplained mysteries in life, don’t question it. But DO, of course, meet your deadlines. The whole “I’m a creative individual and do things on my own time” doesn’t exactly fly in a company.
See what others are saying. No, you’re not going to steal ideas and plagiarize, but have a look on the web at what other people are writing about on this topic. Sometimes you read one thing, think of another and another and before you know it, it has a domino effect and BOOM there’s your idea.
And in light of this blog post, I’ll make a confession: I’m having writers’ block thinking of a conclusion. So, just follow my advice and let the words flow…
Heather Di Maio
Digital PR Officer
